


XIV | Temperance: Shiho Suzui

by 264feet



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Developing Friendships, Female Persona 5 Protagonist, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24740710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/264feet/pseuds/264feet
Summary: Akira finds her sense of balance and normality with Shiho. | The story of a Confidant.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira & Suzui Shiho
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	XIV | Temperance: Shiho Suzui

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Psyche Soldier](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22722280) by [RighteousMaximus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RighteousMaximus/pseuds/RighteousMaximus). 



> Inspired by the P5 retelling Psyche Soldier, as noted. If you haven't read it, I recommend it, but this could be read without.

Akira had come to the hospital with Ann to act as emotional support during the visit. Although Shiho had once urged Akira to not let the rumors bother her, they had little of a relationship outside of that, so Akira hadn’t felt like it would be appropriate to visit her alone.

So when Shiho slips and Akira grabs her elbow to support her, the last thing she expects to feel are chains embracing her heart as a new bond forms.

“Thanks, Akira,” Shiho says. “You’ve been looking after Ann, right?”

Akira nods, and Shiho breathes a sigh of relief.

“I can look after myself, Shiho!” Ann places her hands on her hips and huffs a breath. “Tell her, Akira!”

“Well…” Akira thinks a bit. 

“Akira!”

Shiho giggles. The bond refines its shape in Akira’s heart; she feels restraint without imprisonment as she learns to temper herself.

“Thanks, Akira,” Shiho says.

“Of course, Shiho. Are your parents waiting outside with all your stuff?” The three girls link arms with Shiho in the middle.

“Y-yeah. Just let me find my feet first.”

Akira takes one step forward and the world warps and melts. Days into weeks into months bleed from her and she wakes up from the memory in the interrogation room, beaten and drugged.

Sae strokes her chin in contemplation. “I just don’t understand how a teenager could handle the stress and not break.”

Akira doesn’t respond. Sae leans in. “Accomplices within the Thieves could only help so much. You all would have been struggling together. I believe there’s someone out there who you must have gone to for help when you were at your breaking point. They must know everything.”

“The counseling was confidential,” Akira manages.

“They would have been obligated to turn you in. Even so, I doubt you would open up to a school counselor when you were under investigation from the Principal, and later the police. There was someone close to you who knew, wasn’t there? Someone who helped you not as a thief, but as a person.”

Akira turns her head. It’s a strange angle for Sae to pursue, but if they could find Shiho, they could shake her down for information. Akira would sooner die than let that happen.

Sae slams her hand on the desk. “Answer me!”

* * *

Akira lies on her bed in Leblanc’s attic. Morgana is curled up on her lap. She’s about to fall asleep when her phone chimes.

Ignoring Morgana’s complaints, she reads the message.

_Chat- Shiho Suzui, Akira Kurusu_

_SS: Hey, Akira. Sorry to bother you this late._  
_AK: no porb_  
_AK: *no prob_  
_SS: no porb_  
_AK: im half-asleep_  
_SS: I can tell. Sorry again to bother you. It can wait until morning if you want._  
_AK: no no its ok_  
_AK: go ahead_  
_SS: Okay. So, I have to go back to the hospital for PT tomorrow._  
_SS: I was wondering if it’s not too much trouble…_  
_SS: If you could be there with me during my session._  
_AK: sure, i’ll be there_  
_AK: do you want me to invite ann?_  
_SS: Not this time, actually._  
_SS: No hard feelings toward Ann. She’s my closest friend._  
_SS: But this next session might be kind of difficult. I don’t want her to cry while I’m trying to not fall and eat shit._  
_AK: ok_  
_AK: i promise to just laugh instead if you fall and eat shit_  
_SS: Thanks, Akira. That’s what I need to hear._  
_AK: no prob_  
_SS: What about ‘no porb’? lol_  
_AK: im going to sleep now_

* * *

The next day, Akira meets Shiho in time for her session. Morgana excuses himself before they enter the hospital and says he’ll meet up with them later.

“Your cat just meowed at you and you said ‘OK’ in response,” Shiho points out. “Now he’s just loose in the Tokyo streets.”

“He’s a free man,” Akira says with a shrug.

“Will he be okay? I wouldn’t want him to get lost.”

“He’s smarter than he looks. Usually.”

Shiho nods but doesn’t say anything else. Akira tugs at the collar of her uniform. Ann would have known exactly how to fill the pauses. Not only is she Shiho’s best friend, but she’s great at holding conversations.

Akira tries to think of topics, but it feels awkward to ask something basic like, “so are you from around here?” to Shiho right before something so intimate. The only other thing Akira can think about is the incident, and her own guilt. If only she had acted sooner…

Well, there’s no use dwelling on an imaginary perfect world. The session eventually starts, and Akira takes a seat to the side.

Ann had mentioned before how difficult it was to see Shiho during the early sessions of her PT. Shiho had been suffering. Even though the Kamoshitstain had paid his dues, emotional scars didn’t heal that easily; Ann still felt responsible, too.

Today, Shiho is learning how to walk without crutches. Akira realizes how much she takes for granted her own ability to walk, much less parkour around the Metaverse.

Shiho has to practice temperance-- distribute weight evenly on her legs, avoid going too fast or too slow, and so on. She’s oddly graceful. Shiho looks back at Akira, and Akira offers a smile and a thumbs-up.

Arsene tugs at the back of her mind. He doesn’t say anything, but Akira understands. She activates Third Eye.

Fading footprints litter the room where Shiho has walked. Her path ahead of her is highlighted in blue footprints that she steps into perfectly. Akira traces her eyes up the path and notices that it ends abruptly with a misstep.

Shiho’s halfway through her fall when Akira swoops in and catches her in her arms. The physical therapist, who’s also inches away, holds up their hands and steps back out of confusion.

Shiho blinks. She’s being held by Akira as if she dipped her low during a ballroom dance. Akira helps her back to her feet, both of the girls turning red.

After the session, the first words out of Shiho’s mouth are, “how’d you do that?”

Akira scratches her head. “Just instinct, I guess.”

“You sprinted right across the room. It’s like you knew I was going to fall or something. Are you psychic?”

Shiho’s looking at her with way too much intensity. She won’t take any bullshitting. “Something like that,” Akira says.

Shiho grins. “Can you read my fortune?”

“Payment up front.”

Raising a brow, Shiho finds a 500 Yen coin in her bag and tosses it to Akira, who catches it in midair. “Here’s your fortune: someone nearby you will buy you lunch.”

“Does that really count as ‘buying’ if I paid?” Shiho laughs. When Morgana walks up and hops into Akira’s bag, Shiho points at him. “Hey, you must be the one! Where’s my lunch?”

Morgana looks at Akira as if he missed something. “Lady Akira…? Should I have shared the can of tuna I found in the alley?”

Akira rolls her eyes. “I know a good place nearby to eat. He’s paying.”

“Lady Akira…!”

They make their way to a cafe and sit down. “Thanks for coming with me today, and thanks for treating me like… normal,” Shiho says, resting her chin in her hands.

“Normal’s what I do best.”

“Besides the action movie stunts, yeah, you’re pretty normal.” Shiho smiles teasingly. “No offense. It’s just, like, look at you! I could never believe the rumors about violence and compensated dating.”

Akira finds herself laughing. No wonder Ann likes Shiho’s bluntness. It can get tiring to either be universally hated or adored. “You wouldn’t pay for a date with me?”

“I guess I kind of have, huh?” Shiho giggles as she watches Akira flip the 500 Yen coin. Her expression turns grim. “Hey, Akira, um... can I get something off my chest?”

“Go for it.”

“I know you must find it strange I invited you today. It's just that... When I got visited by friends and family, they all treated me like… I was a broken doll or something.”

Akira might not be great at talking, but she’s good at listening. She leans in slightly.

“When the doctor told my parents that I might never walk again, they started sobbing, and I was just sitting there like… I’m the one who’s got the messed up legs. I had to tell _them_ it would be okay.”

Shiho stares down at the table. “Ann’s really great, you know? She was there when I woke up and told me, ‘The Kamoshitter just got flushed’. And she’s been nothing but kind. She visits all the time and… she inspires me to want to keep going with PT even when it hurts. But I know she’s blaming herself still.”

“She’s hurt by what happened because of how much she cares, and you can be there for each other,” Akira says, “but also... you can’t be the one to console her entirely. She has a lot to work through, too.”

“Yeah. It’s not like I’m blameless. I know that what I did was stupid and hurt a lot of people,” Shiho says. “I wanted to escape the pain. It turns out you can’t just run from it. I was so stupid.”

Akira takes a chance. “Yeah. And what are you gonna do about it?”

That brings a small smile back to Shiho’s face. “Keep fighting, like I always have. Thanks, Akira. Just wanted to vent a little.”

Akira feels like she understands Shiho better now. You can’t run from pain, she thinks. That’s what she and the other Thieves do: they face their problems head on in the most literal way possible. Mentally, a chain shatters as her bond with Shiho grows.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Shiho punches Akira lightly on the arm. It doesn’t really hurt, but Akira winces. “What was that for?”

“For not laughing like you said you would when I fell.” Shiho scratches the back of her head.

“I’ll be sure to laugh it up if it happens again.”

Shiho responds nonchalantly. “It will.”

* * *

_Chat- clown to clown communication (Shiho Suzui, Akira Kurusu)_

_SS: So I just told Ann_  
_AK: what, that you're in love?_  
_SS: No, she knows that already._  
_SS: I’m not going back to Shujin. I’m going to be transferring._  
_SS: But the school reached out and asked me to meet with one of their counselors still._  
_SS: They even said it can be off-campus so I don’t need to relive ‘my pain’._  
_AK: so what you mean to say is now you’re coming here in defiance_  
_SS: That’s right!_  
_SS: open up the backdoor and let me in if it’s ‘no porb’ for you_  
_AK: :/_  
_AK: it’s not that fnuny_  
_SS: fnuny_  
_AK: fnuny._

Shiho’s still walking with a crutch, but her legs look as if they’ve healed a lot. She’s wearing her old Shujin gym tracksuit to blend in with the other students.

“Thanks, Akira,” Shiho says, as she enters Shujin. “They referred me to some ‘Dr. Maruki’ guy, but I heard there’s a second counselor, or an assistant? I might talk to her instead.”

“Ms. Masutani? She’s great. I’m sure Dr. Maruki won’t mind.”

“It’s not that I don’t want a man telling me how to live my life,” Shiho says, heading to the counselors’ office. “But, um... I don’t want a man telling me how to live my life.”

“Valid.”

Shiho stops at the bottom of the staircase, looking up. She doesn’t say anything as Akira holds her arm to help her. Shiho is sweating by the time they reach the top of the stairs.

“Thanks,” Shiho says. “Sorry I’m heavy.”

“No, you’re fine. My bag’s lighter without Morgana in it, anyway,” Akira says.

Shiho knocks on the counselors’ door. Ms. Masutani and Dr. Maruki are on their laptops as usual. Dr. Maruki looks up and smiles. “Aki-aki! And… you must be Shiho, right?”

Shiho glances at Akira. “Aki-aki?”

“The nicknames ain’t standard counselin’ procedure, I assure you,” Ms. Masutani says with a chuckle.

“Ah… right. Akira’s my niece,” Dr. Maruki says.

Shiho’s eyes widen. “Whoops. Now I feel bad for what I said.”

“Still valid, though,” Akira says.

Dr. Maruki looks between them. “I won’t ask,” he chuckles. “Anyone want some juice?”

Once Ms. Masutani and Shiho are situated in the office, Dr. Maruki and Akira take their leave. Dr. Maruki looks at Akira. “How’s school been treating you, Aki-aki?”

“Fine.”

“Did you let Shiho into the school?”

“Yeah. It was her idea.”

“Geez, kiddo… I guess if it was her request.” Maruki’s head hangs down. “I just wouldn’t want her to relive her experiences.”

Shiho’s words ring in her mind. Akira shakes her head. “Running away won’t do any good. What’s the term… exposure therapy?”

“I guess it’s kind of like that,” he relents.

Silence. Akira speaks. “She’s a lot stronger than she looks. Stronger than me, even.”

“Really? What makes you say that?”

_“Damn brat! I’ll sue!”_

Akira adjusts her glasses, clenching her jaw. She looks around. There’s nobody nearby but her Uncle.

“You can’t be my counselor, Uncle, remember? Conflict of interest and all.”

He gives an awkward laugh. “Habit. Well, I’m going to run to the corner store to get some more snacks. Want to tag along?”

“That’s okay. Maybe another time.”

Once Dr. Maruki is gone and she’s alone in the hallway, Akira’s back slides down the wall and she lands on her butt unceremoniously. Morgana would have asked her what’s wrong if he were here and not in the courtyard, but she wouldn’t have done this in front of Morgana.

_“Your ass is mine! Come back here you shitty little slut!”_

By the time the office door opens and Shiho exits, Akira’s back on her feet and idly looking at her phone. “How’d it go?”

“Y’all come back now!” Ms. Masutani calls. Akira waves before following Shiho.

“Went fine. I thought she’d want a testimony on Kamoshida, but I just talked about other stuff.”

“Do you think you’ll go back?”

“Maybe. I know my limits. It was nice having someone to talk to like that, you know?” Shiho says. “She did say that I was handling it all really well. Like… I wish this hadn’t happened, yeah. But I’m not going to let it define me.”

Akira adjusts her glasses again. She considers taking them off, but leaves them on. “That’s the spirit.”

“Were you just standing there waiting for me?”

“Yeah. I could’ve done other stuff if I wanted. My Uncle asked if I wanted to get some snacks, and then Ryuji texted me that Morgana ‘was challenging his masculinity’ or something. But, I kind of just wanted some time to think.”

“As you say, valid.” Shiho pauses. “Wait. Isn’t Morgana your cat?”

“Yeah.”

She keeps walking. “How fragile masculinity is.”

“For real.”

Akira helps Shiho down the stairs again. She offers to help Shiho to the station, but Shiho declines. She takes several steps away, then stops.

“Akira?”

“Yeah?”

Shiho turns back around. “I know it might not be my place to ask,” she says. “But are you… okay?”

A knot forms in Akira’s throat. She stares down at her shoes. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. I can just tell.”

“Maybe you’re the psychic one.” Akira tries to chuckle.

“Nah, I’m not.” Shiho looks up at birds flying overhead. “I’ve just been in a similar position.”

“I’m fine.”

It’s hard to identify the emotion that comes to Shiho’s face. It isn’t disappointment. Akira would recognize that.

“Okay, Akira. Thanks for today,” she relents. She adds on one more comment. “By the way, I’ve talked with Ann, and we’re doing a lot better. Not blaming ourselves. Not dwelling on the past.”

“That’s great.”

“You should try it sometime.”

Usually, a Confidant ranking up feels like breaking free. This time, Akira feels like the chains tighten.

\---

_Chat- sad girl hours :pensive: (Shiho Suzui, Akira Kurusu)_

_SS: still on for batting cages today?_  
_AK: i’m in_  
_SS: nice, let’s meet there!_  
_SS: I found a polite cat meme that reminds me of Morgana_

SS sent img_3402.png

_AK: lol that’s him alright_  
_SS: make sure to show it to him!_  
_AK: show it_  
_AK: to the cat?_  
_SS: he deserves a laugh_

Akira smiles when she sees Shiho jogging up to the batting cage. “Sorry I’m late!” Shiho says.

“You’re early, actually.”

“Yeah, but you got here first.” Shiho giggles.

Akira smirks. “I didn’t know it was a race.”

“You know now! I’m going to kick your butt, so get ready!” Shiho picks up the bat.

Akira braces herself-- and then Shiho steps up to the plate. Right, she’s going to bat, not actually beat her up. Maybe she’s spent too much time in Mementos.

The conversation flows naturally between them now that they’re closer. Shiho starts talking as she waits for the pitching machine to start. “On the train, that Detective Prince guy wouldn’t shut up about the Phantom Thieves,” she says. “Everyone was nodding along and stuff... it was troublesome.”

“Are you a fan of the Thieves?” Akira asks, casually.

“I think it’s interesting that they started with Shujin,” Shiho says, and hits a home run. “I wonder who they really are.”

Akira adjusts her glasses. Shiho hits the ball again and narrowly misses the home run. “Anyway, I started supporting them a lot more than I already did just because Akechi won’t shut the hell up about ‘justice’ or whatever.”

“Same.”

"Like it's his concept to define." Shiho taps her bat on the ground. “It’s not like the police did anything about--”

“Watch the K word.”

“Yeah,” Shiho sighs. “I just have no idea how Akechi manages to speak so clearly during interviews when his head is stuffed so far up his own ass.”

Akira snorts and fails to control her outburst of laughter. Shiho starts giggling and misses her next swing.

“It’s a mystery,” Akira finally manages.

“Do you think they’re someone we know?” Shiho asks.

“Because their first target was the turd man?”

“They could go to Shujin.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Akira says. “You know how easily rumors spread there. If the real thieves were there, who would believe it?”

Shiho finishes her turn at bat and wipes sweat from her brow. She hands off to Akira and goes to take a drink of water from her bottle.

“I feel bad for them, honestly,” Shiho says.

Akira had been trying to not use Third Eye as an advantage. The statement catches her off-guard enough that she misses the ball by a wide margin.

“Why?” Akira asks.

“It must be liberating to have that power, but it also must be kind of a curse.” Shiho seems to choose her words carefully. “Everyone, especially people like Akechi, have some kind of opinion on them. Tuning that out is easier said than done.”

“Maybe they like the attention.”

“Maybe. Sometimes, you have to learn to live with it.” Shiho idly touches her knee brace. Then, she looks at her phone. “I checked that Phan-site thing that Akechi was ranting about. There’s lots of suggestions for targets coming in.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I wonder… what would it feel like to be a Phantom Thief?” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to stop looking at this list. There could be some names that are just on here as a mean prank, but all of these people must have hurt someone badly. Just one group couldn’t possibly take all of them down.”

Akira is silent.

“I would feel like… for every target I don’t choose,” Shiho presses, “there’s a victim. Someone like me. It would get exhausting to imagine that.”

“It would,” Akira admits. “But maybe their goal isn’t to help everyone. Lots of people think they just want to get famous.”

“Hm… I don’t think that’s true,” Shiho says.

“Why not?”

“Why haven’t they revealed themselves in some way? There’s no official statements on the website, even, just posts from a moderator,” Shiho says. “They’re not even cashing in on their own merch. But… then again, maybe this is just wishful thinking.”

Akira misses the ball again. “What do you mean?”

“Because the Phantom Thieves took down Kamoshida. I’m grateful to them for that. I want to think there’s some good out there in the world, and that them stealing his heart isn’t just scum versus scum.”

"K-word." 

Shiho gives an overdramatic sigh and rolls her eyes. "I'll put a coin in the jar later. Just because I didn't say 'turd man'..."

“Sorry," Akira chuckles, but her face turns serious again. "So, basically, you believe they Thieves are good.”

“What do you think, Akira?”

She misses again. Akira finally activates Third Eye and hits the next pitch.

“I don’t have much of an opinion.”

Shiho squeezes her water bottle. The plastic crinkles in her fist.

“You and Ann aren’t very good liars.”

Akira puts down the bat as her turn ends. She looks at Shiho, who has an intense gaze.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Shiho says. “I still think they’re good. I wouldn’t expose them, and I have no interest in sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“... But?”

“Forget about it.”

Shiho takes the bat back. Her next swings are much more intense.

Akira decides to take a chance. She feels like she’s balancing herself on a tightrope.

“I think they’re trying to be good. That’s all anyone can do.”

Shiho nods.

“But… it must be lonesome,” Akira says. “Just yourself and a few allies against the world.”

When Shiho finishes, she goes to hand the bat over to Akira. Akira reaches to take it, but then her hand is on top of Shiho’s, and Shiho doesn’t move away.

“You know, one is never quite as alone as they think,” Shiho says.

Akira doesn’t need Third Eye to detect a great sadness behind Shiho’s gentle expression. Shiho squeezes her hand. Akira’s face flushes pink.

“By the way, I’m kicking your butt so far.” Shiho sits down and takes another drink of water.

* * *

Akira wonders what someone would think if they saw her on the roof of Shujin with Shiho. Akira’s supposedly dead (or, as far as the school is concerned, on a prolonged absence), and Shiho transferred schools after her attempted suicide. If anyone were searching for them, this is the one of the last places they would look.

The rooftop has transformed since Akira first started coming up here. A tall fence has been built around the edges and Haru’s plants have added a liveliness to the place.

“Are you sure the hoodie will be enough to disguise you?” Shiho asks, again. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble for my sake.”

“Less is more,” Akira says, shrugging. “You said yourself I’m pretty normal, once.”

“Guess so,” Shiho says. She stares out past the fence. She’s been here once before, having put on her old school uniform and come with Ann and Akira. “It’s kind of funny. Neither of us should really be alive.”

“You texted me after the news got out that if I killed myself, you would kill me.”

“Yeah, it would make you a huge hypocrite.”

“I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

“Good. I’d hate to kill you.”

Akira can’t resist some gallows humor. “Wish everyone could say that.”

Shiho gives her a slight look of concern. They stand in silence for a little while.

“How bad does it hurt?” Shiho asks, suddenly. “If the police went too far...”

“Just some bruises and questionable truth drugs,” Akira says.

“That’s still not easy.” She puts a hand on the chain-link fence. “I... I remember I used to look at myself in the mirror and feel like I was damaged. When he hurt my knee, it was a reminder every time I walked to stay in line.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Shiho asks. “I’m sorry to you. I really don’t envy you, Akira. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through anything close to what I suffered. But when Kamoshida went to jail, I felt some sense of closure. He can’t hurt anyone anymore. But your enemy isn’t just one person. There might never be closure.”

“I’ll just live with it." 

“You don’t have much choice.” Shiho’s voice is soft.

It feels crushing, sometimes, being a prisoner of fate. She has several gods and angels bouncing around in her head but she can’t blame any of them for what’s going on. It’s just how it is.

Shiho speaks suddenly. “When I was falling… I realized that I didn’t want to die, I wanted to live. That is to say, I wanted to live free and not under any man’s thumb anymore. Life is precious. It might not always seem like it, but if you have the willpower to keep going, you’re bound to get to a better place.”

“Sometimes I think I could have been in a better place if I could have just minded my own business.”

“Yeah, and maybe if I never played volleyball… who knows. I’d be happy, but I wouldn’t have one of my life’s passions.”

Shiho continues. “What I’m trying to say is that there’s no way to change the past, and it’s pointless imagining what would have or could have happened. I’m not going to let the K-word man have stolen volleyball from me forever. I don’t want to just be a victim, you know?”

“Yeah. I admire that.”

“I’m not trying to say that you’re just playing victim. Far from it. You’re already working with Ann and your other friends again to keep moving forward,” Shiho says. “But, like. For me, I had to face what happened, and it sucked. I had to be weak. Vulnerable. Ann, my parents, Ms. Masutani… eventually, I had to let them see me be weak and cry.”

Akira clenches her jaw. Shiho places a hand on her shoulder. “Have you had time to… I don’t know. Cope?”

“All I’ve been able to do is ‘cope’. I can’t go to school. I can hardly go out.”

“There’s a difference between coping and ruminating. If your Uncle’s a psychologist, you should know that.”

Shiho’s hand is warm and soft. Akira doesn’t want it to go.

“It’s just…” Akira takes off her glasses. “If I’m not strong, then I don’t know how it will affect the rest of the Thieves.”

“That’s the burden you bear as their leader.” Shiho squeezes gently. “But I’m not one of them.”

Akira takes a deep breath, then lets go. Shiho’s already holding her arms open for an embrace by the time Akira turns. She accepts the hug and lets herself cry. Shiho rubs circles on her back gently.

Warmth flows through Akira's body. Another mental set of chains shatter. As her Confidant reaches its max, Ardha emerges from the Sea of Souls. 

“If only people knew the leader of the Phantom Thieves is just a crying girl,” Akira mutters.

“Nobody can run away from their pain forever. I tried. Doesn’t work,” Shiho says. “You’re stronger for it. I'm proud of you.”

_I'm proud of you._ Akira holds the words close to her heart. “Thank you, Shiho.”

Shiho’s genuine smiles are beautiful. It feels like the sun has come out from behind the clouds. “No porb.”

Akira coughs out a laugh. “It’s literally not that funny.”

“It’s not at all. That’s why I keep bringing it up.”

Akira wipes her eyes off on her sleeve. She puts her glasses in her pocket for now. Letting her feelings out was a simple gesture, but she feels a bit better already. Like she’s let go without running away.

When she and Shiho turn to head back, Shiho trips on her own shoelaces and lands hard on the ground. Akira reaches down to help her up, but stops partway through. Almost at the same time, they both break out into laughter.


End file.
